34 Weeks (November 10 - 17)

Thank the Good Lord I had Monday off of work. I was exhausted from our whirlwind weekend!  I was able to sleep in a little bit, go to my doctor's appointment, and best of all, decorate for Christmas!!

I know, it may seem early, but with my due date being 3 days before Christmas, I wanted it to be done.  On top of having the decorations done, I also had my Christmas shopping pretty much done and wrapped. We have a lot of nieces and nephews, so I was able to do pretty much all of their shopping pretty easily online after I got lists from all of the kids!

One of my favorite traditions with my group of friends happened this week also, "Friendsgiving"! Normally I organize and host it, but since we live a little further away and since we're getting ready to have a baby, our friends, Mel and Stephen who live in Lawrence offered to host this year. I just helped get all of the food organized!  This was our 11th year of having Friendsgiving. It was a tradition that we started in college and somehow, we've managed to keep the tradition alive for many years after being out of school!  Nowadays, the group is so much bigger than what it was in college with everyone getting married and having kids! We always have SO MUCH FOOD. One of our first years of having friendsgiving in college the guys across the street were in charge of mashed potatoes...somehow we ended up with somewhere close to 20 pounds of potatoes for about 10 of us; needless to say, we had plenty of mashed potato leftovers....

I am starting to feel quite a bit more uncomfortable than I had in weeks past.  The baby is getting bigger (and heavier), braxton hicks contractions happen pretty frequently, I'm not sleeping quite as well, and I feel like I'm starting to get the pregnancy waddle down...overall though, I really cannot complain. This pregnancy (even though I have nothing else to compare it to) has been pretty easy. My biggest complaint would have to be sleeping on my side! I was a stomach sleeper prior to getting pregnant, so adjusting to sleeping on either side has been kind of a challenge for me. Luckily I have some good pillows!

This week the baby is the size of a butternut squash and weighs in at about 4.2 - 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 - 18.7".  By week 34, he's recognizing and reacting to simple songs. Fat layers, which help regulate the baby's body temperature after birth are filling the baby out, making him rounder.  The central nervous system is maturing and the baby's lungs are continuing to mature as well.

33 Weeks (November 3 - November 10)

I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy lately! They don't hurt at all, but my stomach gets rock hard (I mean it was pre-baby anyway, but it is way harder now if you can even imagine), and at times it's uncomfortable to stand or sit...lying down is the best position for me! :)

We had a short week at work this week because Lincoln had a conference in Branson, MO for work and I got to tag along.  We left for Branson Thursday morning and got there early afternoon that day.  We were able to do a little shopping that afternoon before our evening plans.

That evening we had tickets (with the group we were with) to go on the Showboat Branson Belle.  Now, if you've never been to Branson, you're missing out...lets just say it's geared towards those in the 60+ age category. 

Sure, there are plenty of things for younger people to do, but if you're out walking around the average age is 65-70 years or older.  There are also A LOT of buses.  The Branson Belle is a riverboat that holds like 700 people or something.  They do a variety show and serve you dinner. 

Branson was already decked out for Christmas when we arrived, so I loved it.  The dinner show had ALL Christmas music, so I was able to sing a long to pretty much every song.  Lincoln loved my singing. Dinner on the boat was not so great...I pretty much had my salad, a few bites of chicken, some sugar snap peas, and my dessert. There was some roast beef stuff smothered in gravy and instant mashed potatoes. Ew.

Friday, Lincoln had meetings in the morning and golf in the afternoon, so I had a whole day to myself to go shopping!  I did well. We'll just keep it at that.  Nothing really for myself, I just finished a few Christmas and birthday presents. I was able to sleep in a little and just relax in the afternoon after I was done with my shopping spree.  We stayed at the Chateau on the Lake and had a really pretty view over the lake in the morning:

 

The hotel was also all decked out for Christmas and they had these giant gingerbread houses on display:

 

 

Friday night there was a dinner at our hotel along with a comedian/magician.  I have NO idea how this magician did any of the tricks he did. I am in awe of their talent.

 

We were planning to spend the day Saturday doing other touristy things in Branson, however we learned after planning the trip, that our baby class at the hospital was also that weekend from 10-4.  Ugh.  SO, we got up bright and early Saturday morning (4:30 to be exact) to get ready and get on the road for our trip back home.  We originally thought the trip would take us 5 1/2+ hours, but we must have been driving like NASCAR drivers and we made it back in 4 1/2 hours. Instead of being late to our baby class we were right on time. 

 

Originally there were supposed to be at least 4 or 5 other couples in the class on both days, however, we ended up being the ONLY COUPLE THERE FOR BOTH DAYS!  I mean, don't get me wrong, it was great to get the one-on-one attention with the nurses and to get all of our questions answered, it just would have made things a little less awkward at times and it would have been nice to bounce questions and ideas off of other soon to be parents.

 

Saturday evening we had a surprise birthday party for one of our friends.  I think the babe knew that my body was tired...I was having a lot of braxton hicks contractions while we were at the bar for awhile. Luckily, we didn't stay out too long! 

 

 



The baby is the size of a durian (what the heck?!)--or a pineapple.  This week the baby weighs about 4.2 - 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 -18.7".  He may even grow up to a full inch this week! He's turning into a curious kid who can keep his eyes open while awake, and he's starting to coordinate her breathing with sucking and swallowing.  The baby bones are starting to harden as well.





32 Weeks (October 27 - November 3)

I started out the weekend thinking that I would get a lot of things done....however, after getting home late from Wicked on Friday night, my body had other plans.  It was tired.  So, of course, I had to do what it was telling me too....

On Sunday, Lincoln woke up early to go the Chiefs game with some friends.  I woke up when we was leaving and promptly went back to bed.  I got up to eat breakfast and a half hour or so after that, the dog and I made our way back to bed...I managed to miss church, and almost missed lunch.  I guess I needed some sleep...

I had planned on cleaning the house, doing laundry, getting groceries, making some food for the week, and lounging around, but it just wasn't in the cards for the day! I did get some of those things done, just not quite as much as I had planned. Oh well!

In addition to my big plans for the day, I was also having some maternity pictures taken.  Lincoln was supposed to be there for them, but my forgetfulness has been sinking in full force lately and I told him to go to the game even though we already had pictures set up...ugh. Luckily, our photographer was really flexible, so we did some of just me on Sunday and we'll squeeze Lincoln in sometime this week.  All of the trees are turning colors and everything is so pretty right now, so I think we got a few really good ones!  Here's a little preview:

 

Don't the trees look fake here?!

 

 

Isn't she so talented!?

  

This week was also Halloween.  Halloween is a HUGE deal in Hiawatha.  The kids get out of school for it!  They also have two nights of trick or treating.  I thought I had bought more than enough candy for both nights, but for some reason we were all out of candy on the first night and I had to leave my light off on the second night (which was totally fine with me!).  I gave out 2 pieces per child, so it wasn't like someone was taking hand fulls! It never ceases to amaze me that some kids come with more than one bag or that parents trick or treat with their kids and expect to get candy. Oh well, I figure if they want a couple of pieces of candy THAT bad, I'll give it to them.

 

On Friday one of my best friends from college, Jess, came up from TX for the weekend and to go to the KSU football game on Saturday.  I picked her up at the Manhattan airport and then we went to Topeka to meet up with pretty much all of the rest of our college friends for a girls night.  It was so fun to see everyone!

 

On Saturday, Jess and I got up and went back to Manhattan to go to the game and Lincoln met us there. It was a perfect day for football--not too cool, not too warm, and not too much of a breeze.



 

 

The best news of all is that KSU pulled out a win over Iowa State.  Even though Iowa State isn't that good this year, a win is a win!!  Especially with the season that KSU has had so far!

 

The baby is the size of a squash this week! At week 32, the baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 - 16.7 inches.  He's likely to be in the head down position now, getting ready for his descent--the journey down the birth canal. And not a minute too soon, because at this point, he's probably feeling even more cramped inside mommy.



31 Weeks (October 20 - 27)

After the baby shower over the weekend, I still feel like I'm putting stuff away from that and from my shopping trip to Target...yikes. Baby's need a lot of things.

There have been many weeks lately where I feel like having a three day weekend would be really helpful.  Now if only I could get work to agree with that...

I'm still feeling really good; I'm quite a bit more tired than normal...it's not unusual that I'll be watching a show on TV and fall asleep on the couch around 8:30.  Luckily, the tiredness really only hits about that time and I'm fine throughout the day. Unfortunately for Lincoln, when he tries waking me up to go to bed, I'm usually not the most pleasant person...

On Friday of this week my coworkers and I went to see Wicked, in Kansas City.  This was the second time that I had seen it and it didn't disappoint! We decided to have an early Christmas celebration since my status could be up in the air in December!

With Wicked being in KC, we didn't get home until realllllly late Friday. Well, really late for me; it was after 12:30. I was pretty worthless Saturday morning!  Lincoln and I decided to have a date night on Saturday since our days as it just being the two of us are numbered!  We went out to dinner and to the movie, Captain Phillips. The movie was really good, but really suspenseful! I was pretty jumpy through most of the movie! I would definitely recommend it though if you're looking for a good one!

The baby has been moving around pretty frequently and lately I feel like I'm getting kicked in the ribs--mostly just on my right side though. He seems to kick up a storm after I eat breakfast and around 10pm.  I feel a few jabs throughout the day, but nothing like what I feel at night!

 

This week the baby is the size of a pineapple! This week the baby is about 15.2 -16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 - 3.8 pounds.  He's also going through major brain, nerve, and eye development.  His irises even react to light.  All five of his senses are now in working order, plus, baby's body temperature is now partially being regulated by parts of her brain.  His bones, with the exception of the skull, are hardening too.

29 and 30 Weeks (October 6-20)

I didn't have much to write about for week 29, so I'm combining it with week 30, which is still just as equally as boring.

One piece of fun news is that I had two baby showers within these two weeks!

The first one we had was at my mom and dad's house that my sister, cousin, and sister in laws helped host.  A lot of family and family friends attended this shower.  It was so fun to see everyone and we came away with a bunch of great gifts for the baby!

The following week two friends from Hiawatha hosted a shower for us.  It was such a nice morning and great to get a few more gifts for the little babe.  We played one game where my friend, Kindra, tried to instruct me on how to use a Moby wrap.  Needless to say, I had no idea what I was doing and I'm sure it was pretty funny to everyone there!

On top of both showers, we also got the crib and a book shelf put together for the baby's room.  Things are slowly starting to come together!  It's fun to put everything in it's place after we get home from the baby showers!

 

After the last baby shower, I decided to take back any duplicate gifts to Target and to finish getting a few things that we'll absolutely need before the baby arrives.  I came home and just dumped it all in the living room:

 

It took me awhile to put it all away! There's still stuff that I'm sure we need, but I feel a little better now having a few more diapers and wipes on hand just in case he decides to grace us with his presence a little earlier than planned.

Lately he's been moving around a lot more and his punches and kicks are definitely a lot stronger than before.  Lincoln can easily feel them now and just the other night he got kicked or punched in the face.

 

Week 29 update: The baby is the size of an acorn squash!  He's getting plumper and should be measuring about 15.2-16.7" long and weighing about 2.5-3.8 pounds.  He still has a long way to go and will be TRIPLING his weight before birth.  Oy.  My belly is growing bigger and apparently is getting to about the max it might stretch, so things are a little tight in there for the baby.  He's been extra squirmy and occasionally I can feel him get the hiccups!

 

Week 30 update: The baby is the size of a cucumber!  He's still measuring about the same as week 29, but his skin is continuing to get smoother while his brain is getting wrinklier--to make way for all that essential brain tissue.  He is strong enough now to grasp a finger.

28 Weeks (September 29 - October 6)

Things are pretty uneventful around here lately. I'm getting larger, that's for sure.

 

For some reason, multiple people have said to me this week that I am finally looking pregnant.  Maybe they've had poor eyesight for the past few weeks? But I'm pretty sure that bump growing on my stomach has been pretty evident for awhile!

 

My cousin and his wife had a little boy on the 3rd and he's adorable (from the pictures I've seen!).

 

The weather has definitely cooled down a lot in the past week.  On Saturday, my mom, sister, Mason and I went to the Maple Leaf Festival in Hiawatha and it was chilly! I don't think we bundled up enough!

 

Lincoln and I did a walk for breast cancer that morning before going to the Maple Leaf Festival and after the walk bought some homemade cinnamon rolls from a vendor set up at the festival. We walked, so we deserved it, right?!

 

Most weekends lately, Lincoln has been helping some friends in the field driving the grain cart or combine, so I'm left at home to do stuff around the house.  I figured it would be a good time to wrap Christmas presents so no one could really make fun of me!

 

I can't believe there are only 12 weeks left! Eek!



 

 

 

The baby is the size of an eggplant this week!  At week 28, the baby is putting on layers of fat and weighs in around 1.5-2.5 pounds, measuring about 13.6-14.8 inches.  His skin is smoother and less wrinkled; his lungs are mature enough that he could probably breathe on his own if he was born prematurely.  His eyes can open and close now and can sense changes to light as well.  The baby's sight will continue to develop during infancy after he's born, however.

27 Weeks (September 22 - 29)

I have been all kinds of screwed up on what day of the week it is or what I have going on this week.  I went to my hair salon on Monday to get my hair done and my appointment wasn't until the following week.  Ugh.

I also have a love/hate relationship with Nebraska Furniture Mart.  I love them because they have everything in one store. I hate them because they're huge, they have the worst time guaranteeing ship dates, and their customer service is kind of lacking.

We ordered our crib from NFM in August and were told that it would be in in two weeks, or the beginning of September.  Every other week I would get an automated phone call from NFM saying the ship date was being pushed out another two weeks. I finally called and spoke to a real live human and all they could tell me was that it was something to do with the manufacturer.  I realize that this has nothing to do with NFM, but I wasn't happy...

Instead of just waiting it out and hoping that it would eventually arrive before the baby arrives (I also realize that I probably won't need the crib until a few weeks or so after the baby is born, but I really want to get the room arranged!), I found a few other places in KC that had similar priced and similar looking cribs.  I found one at Pottery Barn kids and it will be here by the end of the week!

The little dude has been extra active lately and I swear he's doing somersaults in my belly. That or just practicing some kick-boxing.  Every time that I try to get Lincoln to come and feel all of the movement, though, he seems to stop!  He did get to feel a few pretty big kicks this week though!

I've been feeling extra tired lately and I seem to doze off on the couch around 8:30.  My energy is still pretty good throughout the day, but after dinner, I'm ready for a nap!

 

The baby now is around 13.6-14.8" long and 1.5-2.5 pounds!  Not only is he getting larger, but he's becoming a complex little human being.  This is the earliest that he could survive outside if delivered prematurely.

 

His brainstem, which controls most of his vital functions (such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure) is nearly fully developed by this point, and his cerebral cortext (which forms consciousness and allows us to think, feel, and perform voluntary actions) is growing more and more, maturing and becoming more complex during the last trimester.  It's more common now for the baby to do karate kicks in my belly.  He can stretch and make grasping motions now too!